975-76 HEARING ON H.R. 7113 TO PERMIT THE RECALL TO ACTIVE DUTY OF REAR ADM, [H.A.S.C. No. 94-24] SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY PERSONNEL HEARING ON H.R. 7113, TO PERMIT THE RECALL TO ACTIVE DUTY OF REAR ADM. J. EDWARD SNYDER, JR., UPON RETIREMENT IN A COMMAND STATUS AS THE OCEANOGRAPHER OF THE NAVY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, October 21, 1975. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, in room 2216, Rayburn House Office Building, at 10:10 a.m., Hon. Lucien N. Nedzi (chairman) presiding. Mr. NEDZI. The subcommittee will come to order. We are meeting this morning for the purpose of holding a hearing on H.R. 7113, which is a bill to authorize Rear Adm. J. Edward Snyder, Jr., the former Oceanographer of the Navy, to be recalled from retirement to serve in the capacity of Oceanographer of the Navy. [H.R. 7113 is as follows:] [H.R. 7113, 94th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To permit the recall to active duty of Rear Admiral J. Edward Snyder, Junior, upon retirement in a command status as the Oceanographer of the Navy Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of the Navy is authorized to assign Rear Admiral J. Edward Snyder, Junior, upon his retirement, to a command status as the Oceanographer of the Navy. Mr. NEDZI. Our first witness this morning is the Honorable H. Tyler Marcy, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development. Mr. Secretary, you may proceed whenever ready. STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID S. POTTER, UNDERSECRETARY OF THE NAVY Dr. POTTER. Mr. Chairman, if I might begin the proceedings for Navy, I am Dave Potter, the Undersecretary of the Navy and I would like to explain our delegation. Ty Marcy, the Assistant Secretary for Research and Development, you have introduced and it is within his area that the oceanographic programs of the Navy fall. Hence, he will be our principal witness this morning. In addition, we have Mr. Joe McCullen, who is the Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. And he is here so that we can be responsive on questions of a more general nature relating to flag selection, numbers of flag officers, and should you choose to get into the matter of a symmetry between the services on this particular issue of command authority on bringing back retired officers, and what we intend to do in the Department of Defense. My reason for being here is that Ty Marcy assumed his office in October of last year, and a lot of the considerations that entered into this matter were prior to that time when I was the Assistant Secretary for Research and Development, and in order that we try to be able to answer all questions as they come up, we have chosen the three of us to be here to be most responsive. Mr. NEDZI. Fine, Mr. Secretary. Thank you very much. STATEMENT OF HON. H. TYLER MARCY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Mr. MARCY. Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, I am H. Tyler Marcy, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development. I am pleased to participate in your hearing concerning H.R. 7113, a bill to authorize Rear Adm. J. Edward Snyder Jr., the former Oceanographer of the Navy, to be recalled from retirement to serve in that capacity. This legislation is required because of the provisions of section 5955 of title 10, United States Code, which mandates that retired officers of the Navy shall be withdrawn from command. The Air Force and Army do not have this statutory proscription on the utilization of their retired personnel. Section 5982 (a) of title 10 does authorize the detail of retired Navy officers to command in wartime. Mr. Chairman, under the Secretary of the Navy, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development is responsible for all matters related to research, development, engineering, test, and evaluation within the Department of the Navy and for oceanography, ocean engineering, and closely related matters. The naval oceanographic program encompasses that body of science, technology, engineering, and operations which is essential in exploring and laying the basis for naval applications that enhance security or support other national objectives. Of critical importance to this program is the officer serving as Oceanographer of the Navy. Rear Admiral Snyder is uniquely qualified to continue in that capacity. As a commander, he served some 4 years as special assistant in the office I presently occupy and during that time he was primarily responsible for revitalizing and reconstituting the oceanographic program as it is presently organized. He served as Oceanographer of the Navy from June of 1972 until his retirement in June 1975. In this capacity he commanded the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy and was the immediate superior in command of the Commander, Naval Oceanographic Office, a field activity of the Oceanographer. In view of this command status and the statutes cited above, a retired officer is not eligible to serve on active duty as the Oceanographer of the Navy. As director of the naval oceanographic program, the Oceanographer of the Navy is the interconnection of a vast series of complex and disparate activities whose purpose is to explore and to lay the basis for exploitation of the ocean and its boundaries for Naval applications to enhance security and support other national objectives. The exercise of this program necessarily transcends the precisely defined re quirements of national defense in order to be responsible to the broader demands of national security. No more cogent case in point can be cited than the current economic sensitivity to potential offshore resource and energy supplies, with the attendant technological imperatives to develop and protect them. Given this setting of undersea technology and national security, it is a matter of concern that the duties and responsibilities of the Oceanographer of the Navy be vested in an officer who, in addition. to the qualities of leadership and character expected of a flag officer, has the requisite tenure to provide continuity of leadership and the technical experience to make effective and cooperative use of the Navy's considerable capital investment in the oceans. As a means of providing that continuity and experience, Dr. Robert A. Frosch-then ASN (R. & D.)-in mid-1972 discussed with Admiral Zumwalt the advisability of assigning Rear Admiral Snyder to duties as Oceanographer of the Navy for an extended tour. The decisions resulting from these discussions were subsequently confirmed by Dr. Potter, then acting in his capacity as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development), in discussions first with Admiral Zumwalt and then with Admiral Holloway. In all these discussions one of the salient points was that previously the rotation of the Oceanographer at fairly short intervals had worked to the disadvantage of the oceanographic program. Further, it was recognized that because of political factors the rotation of the Assistant Secretary at relatively frequent intervals-although not previously a problem— co id conceivably result in undesirable discontinuity in the prosecution of the oceanographic program, and that stabilizing the billet of Oceanographer could assist importantly in maintaining continuity in the program. The military implications of a national oceanographic program in the international area are such that a strong military voice is needed in these matters. The Oceanographer of the Russian Navy, for example, is a four-star equivalent and has held the post for 10 years. This fact gives the Russians a head start in negotiations concerning oceanographic matters, and is an imbalance which requires correction. There is an intricate and intimate relationship between the highly tesanical oceanographic program and the operation of naval vessels i sophisticated weapons systems. This relationship must be understood and applied to the development of new equipment. It requires a get deal of professional understanding of naval military matters and an appreciation of the scope and content of technical activities to see that proper priorities are established and that understanding is adequate. It is recognized that the desire to retain Admiral Snyder for a period of at least 5 years might be inconsistent with the purposes of the continuation boards convened under the provisions of section 6394, of title 10, United States Code, and a decision was made that, should Adiniral Snyder not be continued, he would be retained on active duty in a retired status. The board that considered Admiral Snyder for Continuation had an extremely difficult task in that almost half of the fficers under consideration were required to be recommended for noncontinuation. Under the circumstances, the failure of Admiral nyder to be selected for continuation in no way casts doubt on his |